NWC News Desk

Community members invited to travel to Spain with NWC

Posted November 27, 2012

By NWC News Desk

POWELL, Wyo. - Northwest College invites community members to immerse themselves in the language and culture of Spain through a 17-day field studies class to the European country. Participants will leave for Spain May 25 and return June 10.

The registration deadline is Friday, Dec. 14.

Mary Ellen Ibarra-Robinson, an associate professor of Spanish, will lead the three-credit class, which is open to students and the public with any level of Spanish language skills. Participants must have previous language study or previous travel experience abroad.

Unlike other NWC foreign field studies courses, this one is very language focused with complete cultural immersion—participants are more than tourists; they live the life of a Spaniard, with a significant part of their time spent in a family home in Salmanca.

Each day after breakfast at home, participants head to a language institute where they’ll spend their mornings studying Spanish at a level appropriate to each individual’s skills.

Afternoons are spent visiting cultural and historical sites, natural wonders, museums and the cities of Avila and Segovia. Weekend excursions include options to travel to Madrid and Toledo, the coast, Portugal or one of the Moorish cities of Granada, Cordoba and Seville.

Free time is also reserved during weekdays to explore and enjoy the area.

“There is absolutely no better way to enhance your foreign language skills than to immerse yourself in it,” Ibarra-Robinson said. “Living and studying in another country involves learning at varying levels all day long. It is a wonderfully fun and effective way to learn Spanish and to experience another culture.”

Each day at the language institute begins with four hours of instruction focused on conversation, vocabulary, grammar and reading. Optional afternoon classes cover such topics as socio-political issues, grammar and salsa/flamenco classes.

Registration and a $200 nonrefundable deposit must be made by Friday, Dec. 14.